2018

2018 Championship

7.7 mins

16/04/18

Calendar

The Formula 4 South East Asia Championship (F4 SEA) - certified by the FIA - today announces the 2018 calendar and race fees. The F4 SEA programme now expands to 8 events with 24 races visiting Malaysia, Thailand and India, with a 3-race weekend format. Just as in European and worldwide FIA F4 championships, the Formula 4 SEA champion wins12 FIA Super Licence points.

#

Date

Month

Circuit

Support

1)

07 - 08

JulJuly

Sepang International CircuitSepang

MSF

2)

13 - 15

JulJuly

Sepang International CircuitSepang

MCS

3)

01 - 02

SepSeptember

Madras Motor Race TrackMadras

Feature

4)

08 - 09

SepSeptember

Madras Motor Race TrackMadras

Feature

5)

19 - 21

OctOctober

Buriram International CircuitBuriram

RAAT

6)

26 - 28

OctOctober

Buriram International CircuitBuriram

GT Asia

7)

23 - 25

NovNovember

Sepang International CircuitSepang

S1K

8)

01 - 02

DecDecember

Sepang International CircuitSepang

MSF

The Formula 4 South East Asia Championship (F4 SEA) – certified by the FIA – today announces the 2018 calendar and race fees. The F4 SEA programme now expands to 8 events with 24 races visiting Malaysia, Thailand and India, with a 3-race weekend format. Just as in European and worldwide FIA F4 championships, the Formula 4 SEA champion wins12 FIA Super Licence points.

2018 F4 SEA Championship:

Best value, three-race weekend for €10,000.

Full 24-race (8 event) championship for only €80,000.

Test sessions for only €750 per hour, with 3 sessions per day.

A cost-effective transition from karting to formula motorsport.

F4 is FIA’s first step to professional careers in motorsport.

The 2018 Season will see F4 SEA host eight events at three venues, with three races per weekend, similar to the European format, but for a total driver fee of €80,000. To accommodate the expanded calendar, the 2018 Championship will now start with two back-to-back events at Sepang on the 7th and 8th of July and 13th to 15th July.

“We are looking forward to our first F4 SEA race in India with a double-header at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai, on the 1st and 2nd September and on the following weekend the 8th and 9th September. MERITUS.GP (the exclusive F4 SEA race engineering supplier) started their Asian adventure in 1996 with Narain Karthikeyan at this very track. Narain is the first of eight F1 graduates from the MERITUS.GP team,” commented Peter Thompson, F4 SEA Promoter.

The Championship will then run 6 races on the Buriram Circuit in Thailand, again over a double weekend, scheduled to commence on 21st October, followed by 28th October, before returning home to Malaysia for events seven to eight on 23-25th November and 1-2nd December. This schedule allows our F4 SEA driver champion to attend the mid-December FIA Awards ceremony in Monaco.

Formula BMW enjoyed great success from 2004-2010, with many graduates going on to race in F1, including 2016 FIA F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg. Gerhardt Berger was the man behind the success of Formula BMW and – as the FIA Formula Car Commission Chairman – he helped formulate the FIA F4 format, which is now the FIA’s global driver development formula. Already the first F4 Champion, Lance Stroll, has won a Formula1 World Championship podium in Baku 2017.

To globally align the development of motorsport talent, the FIA created Formula 4 as the first step to hone drivers’ race-craft. Formula 4 teaches the grass roots knowledge that drivers need to compete at the highest levels of motorsport such as F1, LMP1 and GT1. With the introduction of Formula 3 in the region, Asian drivers now have an exciting new avenue, adding another tier to a self-sustaining Asian Autosport Ecosystem.

F4 SEA 2018 continues to facilitate driver development in the region, targeting a grid of 16-18 cars. F4 SEA is designed to develop race-craft and welcomes drivers in the age group15-20 although there is no upper age limit. While minimal karting experience is highly recommended, one of 2016’s success stories, Malaysian Isyraf Danish, had no prior karting experience yet won the final race and became the Event Champion at the final event.

Formula 4 SEA is an FIA Asia Zone Championship and therefore any National C licence-holder is qualified to participate in any of the events. National C is issued as the first race circuit licence after karting and all the competitors are entitled to an upgrade to International C, following their first season of F4, thus allowing them to progress to the new F3 Asia championship.

F4 SEA organiser, the Automobile Association of Malaysia, are highly vested in making the upcoming 2018 Season an outstanding success.

“It is our great honour and privilege to usher in the third season of the Formula 4 SEA FIA-certified Championship. F4 is the FIA’s gold standard of junior driver development. The Formula 4 SEA Championship is truly dedicated to the success and future of Asian autosport and I am proud of the fact that we have helped introduce and train 47 new FIA licence-holders, some of whom have already gone on to win races in higher categories. With the past success of our promoter it is our goal to have one of our graduates join F1 in the next 5-10 years,” said Yang Mulia Tunku Datuk Mudzaffar Tunku Mustapha, the Chairman of the FIA Affiliate in Malaysia (AAM).

For the new year the FIA have instituted several safety upgrades to the F4 race car. These improvements include an update to the extractable seat, wheel tethers, front and rear high-energy absorbing crumple zones as well as new head restraints. These remarkable advances in technology help keep the driver safe up to FIA F1 standards.

F4 SEA’s exclusive race services provider MERITUS.GP has always prioritised “Creating International Motorsport Heroes,” by nurturing and profiling junior driver development. MERITUS.GP have been involved in Asian motorsport for over three decades, winning 38 FIA Championship titles and training many successful Asian drivers like Jazeman Jaafar, Afiq Ikhwan, Rio Haryanto, Takuma Sato, Ho-Pin Tung, Narain Karthikeyan. The team’s dedication has helped make F4 SEA the premier driver development program in the region and open to a wide range of nationalities.

The youngest F4 winner in the world, Belgian star driver Ugo de Wilde recommends F4 SEA to every young driver. ”The atmosphere in Formula 4 SEA camp is excellent. I was impressed by the way I was welcomed into the championship…I hope to be able to go back to Asia as quickly as possible, maybe for the next season, which begins in July. Formula 4 SEA is an excellent deal for young European drivers.”

F4 SEA

Formula 4 SEA is the first step for young drivers looking to reach LMP1, GT1 or F1. The Championship is designed to transition 15-19 year old karters into formula racing, giving them the foundation they need to get into GT racing or F1.

In the 2017-18 F4SEA visited Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, for a 30-race 5-event Championship.

Need to Know More?

It is really good that F4 SEA is here, as I believe it will help boost the local racing scene and provide a strong base for the growth of motorsports.

Presley Martono

2016 F4 SEA Champion

MERITUS.GP is the best around!

As far as I’am concerned, MERITUS.GP (F4 SEA engineering services provider) is the best around. I have no hesitation to recommend them if a driver wishes to take up single seater racing. They know what they do and what’s more important they are honest and take seriously on what they do.

Afiq Ikhwan

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Champion

MERITUS Provided a Fantastic Service!

For a driver aiming to get to Formula 1, MERITUS.GP is the team to be with. They have all the stepping stones in place and skills required to get to Formula 1.

Earl Bamber

24H LeMans 2017 Champion

It was Fantastic!

It was fantastic to win my first FIA Championship with MERITUS.GP in 2009. AFter my success with the team in Formula BMW I went on to win in GP2 and GP3 in Europe. Formula 4 replaces Formula BMW and for sure it is the best step after karting.

Rio Haryanto

Manor F1 Driver

A Great Success

AsiaCup by MERITUS.GP was a great success and I recommend the Formula 4 SEA by MERITUS.GP for those drivers seeking a professional career in the sport!